1. Technical Field
The present application relates to a method of inspecting beverage bottles for contamination in a beverage bottle filling plant, a method of inspecting containers for contamination in a container filling plant, and an arrangement therefor.
2. Background Information
Background information is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily admit that subsequently mentioned information and publications are prior art.
The present application relates to a procedure for the inspection of bottles, or such like containers, as well as a measuring station for an inspection distance, or control distance for bottles, or such like containers.
The present application relates to a procedure, or method, for the inspection by bottles, or such like containers, in which there is introduced, into each container, an inspection liquid and/or control liquid. At least a test sample of this inspection liquid and/or control liquid or a test sample of gases in the container is taken from every container in a measuring phase and is inspected for the presence or absence of a possible contamination or is analyzed. Also, the present application relates to a measuring station of an inspection distance, control distance, or section for the inspection of bottles or such like containers. The measuring station comprises means for taking at least one test sample of a previously introduced inspection liquid, control liquid, and/or gaseous reaction products from the containers, as well as means for examining and analyzing the respective test sample.
Inspection distances or control distances, i.e. portions of a pertaining conveyer system of the production line, hereinafter also referred to as measuring sections, of predetermined lengths of a transport means or a conveyor for bottles or such like containers are used for example in production lines for bottling, that is for filling liquid goods into containers; in addition, the containers are to be checked prior to filling for possible contamination, so that contaminated containers can be removed from the production line even prior to filling, or in one possible embodiment, prior to the cleaning step that may be done prior to filling. For this investigation of any contamination, it is also possible to introduce into the container a measured volume or quantity of an inspection liquid and/or control liquid that is configured to dissolve any contaminants, i.e., with a defined, or fixed, given volume, in each case, so that any contaminations present in the containers (e.g., dirt, or other foreign matters, germs, etc.) are substantially dissolved in the inspection liquid and/or the control liquid. Occurring subsequently is the withdrawal of a respective sample and the following analysis of a test sample that was taken from the respective container; and such a sample may comprise, in part, the inspection liquid available in the container, the control liquid available in the container, and/or, also part of a gas housed in the container.
In at least one possible embodiment, the inspection of the containers occurs between the cleaning of the containers and the filling of the containers. In such an embodiment, if a container is not cleaned sufficiently by the cleaning machine, the container may be inspected and then re-sent through the cleaning machine for further cleaning. Once the container is sufficiently clean, the container may then move on to the filling machine to be filled.
In at least one possible embodiment of the present application, the inspection of the bottles or containers may occur before the cleaning of the containers in the cleaning or rinsing machine. In such an embodiment, the inspection machine may check for contaminants which may not be able to be cleaned by the cleaning or rinsing machine. Any containers found to be contaminated may then deemed unuseable and may be taken out of the production line. Containers that are not contaminated may continue to the cleaning machine and subsequently to the filling machine.
It is not only a condition for a proper inspection of the containers that the inspection liquid and/or control liquid is introduced in exactly or generally measured amounts into a respective container, i.e., the amount of the inspection liquid and/or control liquid is substantially constant for all or substantially all or most containers, within narrow limits, but also that the withdrawal of the test samples occurs in reproducible manner or is steady, i.e. for example in the way that the portion or the amount of the inspection liquid, the control liquid, and/or the respective gas in the respective test will be substantially within narrow limits for all or substantially all or most containers.